Pancreaticobiliary and Duodenal Tumors

Profiling the genome of the pancreaticobiliary and duodenal tumors

The pancreas is the site of different tumor types originating from different cellular components. The pancreas is connected to the surrounding organs by the pancreatic duct that is fused with the bile duct to form the Ampulla of Vater in the duodenal region. It is a complex environment from which arises some of the deadliest tumors such as the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the 11th most common cancer in the USA but the 4th in fatalities.

The onset and progression of cancer is driven by extensive rearrangement and mutation of the genome. My interest is to detect and characterize the somatic mutation profile of PDAC, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, precancerous IPMN, ampullary adenocarcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, and ductal adenocarcinoma. By collaborating with local and international institutions to obtain representative amount of tumors and comparing the profile of each of these tumors, my collaborators and I are hoping to identify driver genes that can be targeted for personalized treatment.